As women’s sports keep growing, radio and its advertisers are finding a fan base that is ready to be sold to. The Golden State Valkyries’ run to the WNBA Finals, and how one Bay Area station has packaged it, offers a blueprint for turning that passion into revenue.
Audacy Chief Marketing Officer Jenny Nelson makes the case in an Audacy Insights column about San Francisco’s 95.7 The Game (KGMZ). The station became the team’s radio home ahead of its debut season last year.
The audience is broader than many advertisers assume.
Men make up 53% of women’s sports fans and women 47%, and half of fans are under 45, according to DECODER Vision Insights, which also reports that they are more likely than general sports fans to visit a brand’s website or social pages and make purchases. The Trade Desk says women’s sports drew 40 million US fans in 2025, and that NBA ticket buyers account for only 2% to 8% of the WNBA customer base across overlapping markets.
Four in 10 fans say they prefer to spend money on brands that advertise with their favorite franchises or sports, per The Trade Desk. DECODER puts 2025 WNBA brand investment at $76 million from 450 brands, double the prior year.
J Vineyards is the official sparkling wine of the Valkyries and sponsors the “Sparkling Performance of the Game” across The Game’s broadcast and social media. Audacy also describes a custom campaign for a female-led, employee-owned Bay Area company, not named in the column, built around a weekly “Built Like a Baller” Valkyries feature on air, digital, and social.
The company’s website traffic averaged 79% higher on days the campaign aired, according to Audacy, and the brand increased its investment around the playoffs.
Audacy Regional Vice President Kieran Geffert said, “The Valkyries are a movement. It is an opportunity because it has such a passionate and engaged fan base; they can connect with the community and be part of the brand…We can weave brands into the games, on-air conversations, and social content game day and every day,”
